good morning, america. i'm robin roberts. >> and i'm george stephanopoulos. it's tuesday, september 14th. and this morning, political showdown. today, the last primary day before midterm elections. and tea party candidates are charging hard. what will that mean for control of congress? as emotions boil over in that california neighborhood blown apart by a pipe explosion, new video is released of the blast and panic. the moments just after, in a grocery store. this morning, is your backyard at risk?

a father's fight for justice. the dad at the center of that stunning home invasion case takes the stand and faces the man accused of killing his family for the first time. and personal foul? an nfl team accused of harassing a woman reporter on the sidelines and in the locker room. were they out of bounds? we talk to the reporter at the center of the controversy. hello, everyone. welcome back. >> good to be back. >> you know what life is like on the side lines. >> j-e-t-s, jets, jets, jets. i do know they lost last night. can you say karma, perhaps? we're in the final step leading up to the midterm elections. the last primary will be in seven states and the district of columbia. all eyes are on three states in particular, new hampshire, delaware and here in new york. in all three states, there's tea party candidates that are

charging very hard. that can spell trouble for some candidates from the republican establishment. we'll get into all that. and talk to bill o'reilly in a moment. >> that's who is over there. and it was the home invasion that shocked a country. twoe men, who broke into a home. kidnapped the mother. taking her to a bank to withdraw money. and we're seeing surveillance pictures of jennifer pettitte going to that bank. this, as her husband, mr. william pettitte, takes the stand today. >> what an emotional day. we'll e go to that in a little bit. we begin with a high-stakes day in politics. jon karl is covering it all. >> reporter: good morning, george. as you said, there's seven primaries today. but the eyes of the political world are all on tiny delaware. it's here that the tea party movement is trying to score its biggest upset yet. meet christine o'donnell, the

tea party candidate most feared by the republican establishment. >> there is a tidal wave coming to delaware. and we -- we are riding it. and he is drowning in it. >> reporter: she has twice run for the senate. and twice lost. but this time, she has sarah palin. >> hi. this is governor sarah palin. vote for christine o'donnell for u.s. senate this tuesday. >> reporter: o'donnell is up against one of delaware's most popular political figures, congressman mike castle. republican leaders think he is their only chance of winning joe biden's old senate seat. >> if she were, by some miracle to be our nominee, we would lose this seat and lose it by unprecedented numbers. >> reporter: castle has won 11 strait-wide elections in heavily-democratic delaware. in part because he is a proportion rights, pro-gun control moderate, who works with democrats. that's exactly why tea party

activists don't like him. >> the republican party has lost its way. they get behind candidates like my opponent, who don't even support the republican platform. who continue to support the democrats' agenda, lock, step and barrel. >> high-stakes. we're here at the smart screen to look at the state of the overall race. let's begin with the senate right now. the magic number for republicans in the senate. they now hold 41 senate seats. they need ten to take control. this is the universe of senate races right now. those shaded red or pink, leading republican. those shaded blue, leaning democrat. but we'll keep an eye on the all-important ten tossup states right here. >> if republicans are going to capture the senate, they need to run the table. florida, where marco rubio is up against charlie crist. arlen specter's seat in pennsylvania.

the president's old senate seat in illinois. then, they have to win six out of zeb of those now controlled by democrats. in kentucky, rand paul, tea party candidate, missouri, wisconsin, colorado. sharon angel has to topple the senate majority leader. if they can poll off california, they have control of the senate. >> some of the seats in play that previously people didn't think was close. like california or wisconsin, russ feingold, holds a seat. let's look at the house, here. republicans, according to a lot of observers have a better chance to take control. their magic number is 39 seats they need to win to take control. we're looking at a universe of 50 seats that are most in place. >> here's why you can see the republicans more easily taking control of the house, even though it's still a reach. of all these seats, these are the tossup seats, as you mentioned. almost all of them, all but three, are currently held by democrats.

and what's more, george, is two-thirds are democrats that won in '06 and '08. many of them taking seats that were long held by republicans. those are the democrats that made nancy pelosi speaker of the house. >> they won seats that john mccain in the presidential race. jon karl, thank you very much. as you know, there's a major showdown shaping up between president obama and the gop over tax cuts. senate republicans say they now have enough votes to block the president's plan to let tax cuts expire for the wealthiest americans. jake tapper has the details for us. and joins us, of course, from the white house. good morning, jake. >> reporter: good morning, robin. that's right. president obama heads to pennsylvania today to give his back-to-school address, the annual address. but he believes behind him a raging debate over the bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year. and there's harsh divisions in

this year. it's not clear what, if anything, will pass. after some mixed messages, republicans now seem to be on the same page. previously, republican house leader john boehner had indicated he was willing to support extending the bush tax cuts for those earning under $200,000 a year, and not for the wealthiest americans. >> if the only option i have is to vote for some of those tax reductions, i'll vote for them. >> reporter: but other republicans remain in steadfast oppositions. >> now, they want to drive another nail in the coffin. a massive tax hike on the very people who will dig us out of this recession, by expanding their businesses and creating jobs. >> reporter: white house press secretary robert gibbs prodded republicans, taking to twitter saying, they were in disarray. why hold middle-class tax cuts hostage to these disagreements, gibbs tweeted. boehner tweeted back, republicans are unified. and to prove the point, kantor and other republicans retreated what boehner wrote. president obama said congress

should focus on what they all agree on, tax cut extensions for the middle-class. >> we could get that done this week. >> reporter: but his more immediate hurdle would be convincing senate democrats. >> it should be the last moment of raising anybody's taxes and taking money out of anybody's pocket. >> reporter: george, there are at least five other senate democrats who seem inclined to pass all of the bush tax cuts, which means president obama is well short of the 60 votes he needs to prevail. george? >> jake, thanks. for now, we're joined live by the host of "the o'reilly factor" bill rio'reilly. >> how are you? >> i'm fine. >> george never looks tired in the morning. it's 8:00 at night. >> you're my bedtime tv watching. i go to bed early. >> i appreciate that. >> let's get into the tax fight first. i was struck by "the wall street

journal" this morning. they think that john boehner, the republican leader, made a big bungle on sunday when he said he would vote for the extension of middle-class tax cuts, if all the tax cuts weren't extended. >> i think he was caught in the tanning bed and didn't hear what was going on. the whole thing is class warfare. would you agree with that? >> not really. but go ahead. >> the upper tier are going to have to be responsible for the tax revenue, primarily. he's saying, look. don't care about these people, who earn a lot of money. but i want to help you. i think that's a class -- >> there's cost there's that we can't afford. >> and who imposed those costs? >> who did? >> he did. look. i think 35% to the government is a fair deal. i think it is. and then, if you get over 40%, which is where he wants to put it, that's kind of punishing people. i don't buy the tax cuts for the rich.

>> under reagan, people did pretty well. >> i don't care if it was under reagan or george washington. i work hard for my money. do i want to fork 40% over to the feds and pay all the taxes in the world? come on. >> what do you think will happen? >> it will be another brawl. republicans will stretch it out. just because they want to create an image of chaos for november. they want to say president obama can't govern. that's what the end game is. >> how about the midterm elections? we're seeing the tea party on the rise, on offense again. you write about the tea party in your book. you say -- i hope we can put it up right now. unfortunately, some tea party people play into the bogus far-right stereotype, by demonizing president obama in crude ways. i admire what the president has accomplished in his life. please, don't tell rush limbaugh. do you think the tea party has been a plus or a minus?

>> i say that the tea party are primarily patriots because they tell people what they believe and get involved. that's patriotic. if you're out there, and you're sincere and telling people this is the way i'm seeing my country and i want to improve it, you're a patriot. however, if the tea party people basically attack president obama personally, that diminishes their movement. if they say he's a muslim. if they say he was born, where? in indonesia. this hurts their overall message of get off our back. the tea party message is get off our back. that's a good message. i don't want them in my living room, george. >> that's toppled some establishment candidates. >> they want local control. they want the feds not to have as much power. president obama wants a huge federal apparatus. that's a good debate.

>> bottom line, do you think republicans will take control of congress? and if they do, is that a blessing in disguise for president obama? >> i have no idea. i don't do the party politics thing. morris over -- he thinks they will. but he's got, you know, he's rooting for them. but i'll tell you what. president obama has a leadership problem right now. he's at a leadership problem. if he gets whacked, if he loses the house, that's going to get worse. this is a huge election for president obama himself. he has a leadership problem. >> so, you think if he loses, that spells trouble for him. >> of course. >> not for the opposite. as bill clinton lost in '94, the congress, it helped him. >> it's a different world. bill clinton was like martin van bureauen, as far as a media concern. everything is blown up, the second it happens on the internet and cable. it's no longer those rules. and the perception gets out there much quicker than it did. >> you've been weighing in on the controversy over the islamic

center at ground zero. i was struck yesterday that the imam rauf, went to the council of foreign relations, seemed to back off a bit. saying he may even move it. >> rauf is now tied in with this con. >> there's no evidence that rauf believes anything like that. >> it doesn't matter. it's his pal. his pal. he's reforming the muslim organization with him. and the guy, khan, has been talking down at the burlington coat factory building. this guy, khan, says that al qaeda didn't do it. rauf goes in and says i'm a man of peace. he may be. but who is he hanging around with? if we ask for a comment, he runs and hides. >> we're going to talk to him today, we hope. that's all we have time for. "pinheads and patriots." check it out. pacific gas and electric

says it will start writing checks this week for as much as $50,000 for people whose homes were destroyed by that massive pipeline explosion near san francisco. but residents say that is not enough. they do not want the money. they want to go home. they want to know what happened. neal karlinsky is there for us. >> reporter: good morning. many residents are returning. but many say it doesn't feel like home. you can probably tell why. people who lived in that area, near the pipeline, more than 80 them are still not allowed in because it's an absolute disaster down there. no single video captures the homeowners-eye view of the terror in san bruno, than walter mcaffrey's. he shot this off the deck off his kitchen. >> to be honest, i was not thinking. i was making sure -- i could see my neighbors running up the hill.

i was running around the house, making sure everybody was out. >> reporter: today, he's back home. but like so many here, he is not staying. in fact, homeowners may be outnumbered by the small army of utility workers and investigators. meanwhile, owners of more than 80 damaged or destroyed homes are still not being allowed in. they were given a tour, instead, under police escort late monday. this surveillance video from a local grocery store, shows how the blast affected, not just the neighborhood, but was felt by the local community. the pipe in a caused so much damage is being shipped to a lab in washington for testing. was it corrosion? damage from construction? or just the pipe's age? >> this one, when we looked at it, historically, we did not anticipate any issues with it. >> this is a night of information. >> reporter: at a packed community meeting overnight, frustrated residents were looking for answers. >> the kids are traumatized. the wife's a nervous wreck. and i'm just, you know, taking

it day by day. you're very inconveniented. it's not something that's going to happen overnight. >> reporter: right now the ntsb is asking residents to report whether they noticed any dead or dying grass or trees in the area around the pipeline in the time leading up to the blast. they say that could have been a clue to a possible leak ahead of time. so far, they don't know for sure. robin? >> neal, thank you. juju chang has the rest of the morning's headlines. >> good morning, robin and george. good morning, everyone. we begin with the dramatic move in court by the so-called underwear bomber. umar farouk abdulmullatab fired his lawyers. the lawyers for share raw shourd seeking for medical release are hopeful she will see freedom today.

the u.s. government has refused to pay the $500,000 bail. if she is released, shourd and her two fellow hikers face spying charges. a superbug resistant to virtually every known antibiotic has turned up this three states, california, illinois and massachusetts. each patient has been treated in india. but doctors say this highlights the need for better fraking of bacteria, with drug resistance rising and few new antibiotics being developed. the top-seeded tennis player added the only missing trophy missing from his collection. rafael nadal defeated novak djokovic for to win the u.s. open. after the match, he tried to take a bite out of the trophy. that's the news at 7:17. >> he lost one set the entire tournament. unbelievable.

>> all that at age 24. >> thanks, juju. time, now, for the weather. sam champion. good morning to you, sam. >> we have to talk about the rain delays, too. let's deal with what's going on in the tropics. we have an active tropics. and this view of igor. it's a monster storm. it's been a year of huge storms. thank youfully they've not been landfalling storms. look at that. incredible. a category 4 storm. we think this storm will continue toward bermuda. julie's right behind it. we'll do a curve. looks like that low is headed for the coast of mexico. we're in good shape as far as the u.s. goes with tropics. gorgeous day in the northeast today.

another pleasant morning and a great day across washington with a few scattered high clouds. it is mostly sunny skies today and scattered clouds and 57 degrees in arlington. it is a few degrees warmer today in the past couple of mornings. mostly sunny today ended little breezy because there is a cold front moving in. 82 degrees will be the high temperature today. 82 degrees will be the high temperature today. chance of showers in the next-half hour, plenty 06 severe weather and lightning

strikes. robin? >> all right, sam. there's a new survey that may -- who washes more in public restrooms? men or women? like we need to ask. and what cities have the worst offenders. the answers may surprise you. here's yunji de nies. >> reporter: it's particularly important to wash your hands after going to the toilet. >> reporter: we all know we're supposed to do it. do you always wash your hands when you leave the ladies room? >> always. >> reporter: do you wash your hands? >> yes. >> reporter: do you see guys that don't? >> yes. >> reporter: 85% of adults wash their hands. that's up from 77% just three years ago. but separate men and women. and the numbers change. here at atlanta's turner field, the gender differences were the most extreme. 98% of women were seen washing

their hands. but one out of every three men left the bathroom without hitting the sinks. >> nasty. >> hopefully you were not. >> i'm the one that does. >> multitasking. we're always in a hurry. get done and go. >> reporter: doctors say, wash up. 80% of infectious diseases like pneumonia, salmonella and the common cold, are passed through human contact. >> the good news is, we're doing more and more of it. and we're doing it better and more thoroughly. let's keep on that track. >> reporter: are you listening, guys? >> wash your hands. >> reporter: for "good morning america," yunji de nies, abc news, atlanta. >> why don't you guys wash your hands? really? why? why is it so difficult? >> i vow to do better. >> okay. that's all we ask. coming up, let's move on. the new york jets, accused of inappropriate behavior with a female reporter. did the team go too far? was she too provocative?

we'll talk with the reporter at the center of the controversy. she's in our studios. in 2008 i quit venture capital to follow my passion for food. i saw a gap in the market for a fresh culinary brand and launched behindtheburner.com. we create and broadcast content and then distribute it across tv, the web, and via mobile. i even use the web to get paid. with acceptpay from american express open, we now invoice advertisers and receive payments digitally. and i get paid on average three weeks faster. booming is never looking for a check in the mail. because it's already in my email. nothing beats prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn with prevacid®24hr, all day, all night.

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>> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> and good morning.

it is 7:26 on this tuesday, september 14. i am greta kreusz with your local news update. let's check in the morning commute with lisa baden. there has been a huge accident for friends and virginia, south of fredericksburg. interstate 95 at route 1, spotsylvania has two overturned vehicles and a horse trailer that overturned in the medium. both directions of interstate 95 south of fredericksburg are affected. we had a crash in the inner loop near braddock roper that will hang you up out of springfield, virginia. there is an accident in college park with a motorcycle down on the inner loop on route one on your way into greenbelt. blue and orange lines delayed from metro because of a sixth customer who has been taken care of.

another beautiful day in washington. here is a look at the sun rise in frederick. there is a few-clouds and 55 degrees in frederick. our forecast for today calls for a lot of sunshine and a cold front will move through and it will become breezy at 10-20 miles per hour. 82 will be a high temperature today and sunny and near 80 tomorrow and chance of showers thursday into friday and 70's for saturday. today is primary day in maryland and d.c. and the polls are now open. the contentious matters raised in d.c. between mayor adrian fenty and vincent gray will come to an end and voters will choose candidates for other city offices. maryland voters will decide who runs for state, county, and local offices.

we will be back with another update

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airlines. let's look at who the pilot will be. there he is. john travolta. surprises from oprah yesterday. good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> it's all about the moments in her final season. that was one of them. i'm robin roberts. also this morning, a father's quest for justice. he was the sole survivor of the horrible home invasion that shocked the country. today, dr. william petit will take the stand against one of those accused of killing his family. first, the new york jets are under allegations that players and coaches sexually harassed a female reporter in the team's locker room. the team has apologized. but the controversy is not over yet. the nfl is investigating. and ant ya canning was at last night's game. >> reporter: they were talking about her exposed belie ed clea. this has ignited a debate.

everyone seemed to have an opinion about ines sainz. spoke to one player that was in the locker room, he said it absolutely happened. now, people are debating whether her style may have landed her this unwanted attention. >> touchdown, baltimore. >> reporter: the baltimore ravens beat the new york jets in a nail-biter on "monday night football." but it was ines sainz, the woman who calls herself the hottest sports reporter in mexico, grabbing the spotlight. >> if a pair of jeans, a white blouse, with bottoms, is provocative, all the womans are provocative. it's common to dress like this. >> reporter: reportedly, several jets players cat-called and taunted on saturday. and coaches threw passes on the field so they would land near her. sainz tweeted she was dying of embarrassment.

>> she should expect only the most professional, courteous behavior that you would find in the workplace. >> reporter: woody johnson, the team's owner, apologized to her personally. >> the jets have already taken steps to address with the team, proper conduct in the workplace. >> reporter: but the reporter's plunging neckline has brought into questions of her professionalism. sainz defended this photo of what she was wearing that day. what do you think of how she dresses sometimes for games? >> absolutely unnecessary. >> she can dress any way she wants. and that's okay, too. but then what happens, is she has to be able to tell them to shut up then. >> sounds like she was a little too provocative and maybe dressed improperly to be in a men's locker room. >> reporter: the jets confirmed the association for women in sports media will be holding a seminar in the near future to

educate players and staff on appropriate behavior around female reporters. and we're joined now by insz sai sainz. thank you for coming in. >> thank you for having me. >> take us back to practice. what made you feel uncomfortable? >> the situation, was uncomfortable, the field, when they practice. when i get into the locker room, was embarrassment moment. >> in the field, you weren't bothered by it. >> i understand all the time, it was only a joke. and they are playing. i'm perfectly safe. they never hit me. they never threw me the ball to catch or something like this. so, i assumed everything is fine. they are only joking. is not a big deal. >> then, you go in the locker room to interview mark sanchez. >> yes. the minute i walk in. i start to hear voices talking about me, evidently.

but i pretend not to -- >> what did you hear? >> it's like, oh, my goodness. she's here. okay. i want to be mexican. that kind of things that, in the moment, i really didn't notice i have all the attention of the locker room. so, i decide to go straight to the mark sanchez locker. and not to turn around. that's the moment when i started to twitter. okay. an embarrassing moment. but i am perfectly in control. it didn't feel like i was in danger. >> you've been in locker rooms before, right? >> yes. >> and nothing like this happened before? >> nothing like this, as strong as this. but i wasn't concerned. and i must say that i'm not the one who make the charge. who say i'm feel uncomfortable and please do something. i'm not the one. the problem begins with a colleague of mine came with me and told me, i'm so sorry for you.

she's very nice. and she's very concerned about the subject. but in this precise moment, i don't even care about it. i was focused on my job. >> you told a mexican tv station you thought the guys were kidding around. and you never felt offended. >> yes. actually i don't -- i really don't pay attention about it. i was on focus on my job. you know you need to do sometimes what you need to do. >> they may have heard things that you didn't hear. >> exactly. exactly. so, the minute i wait for mark and made interview. go out. and on sunday, i wake up with the news, with a call from nfl, they are talking about the incident. the security department want to approach me. and say, we need to talk about what happened with the jets. so, i say, okay. what happened? because i didn't even think about it. so, they say, no, no. it's a very serious subject that we need to investigate. so, i say okay. you need me like a witness.

yes. in this case, i'm the witness. and i'm the witness also because i'm not the one who made the charge. >> you didn't make the charge. >> yes. >> and then, at some point after that, the owner of the jets called you to apologize. how did that go? >> yes. mr. johnson called me and said he's concerned about things that are talking about the team. they asked me if i feel bad or something. so, i say, don't worry. i'm fine. i'm a professional. i do my job. i find with interview. and he told me that he can't allow that kind of things happening his team. >> meanwhile, you've kicked up all this controversy. you may have seen our reporter, andrea canning, was at the game last night. she talked to a lot of people who say, wait a second. i know you saw these pieces. some saying you were dressed a little improperly. a little too provocative. what do you make of that? >> actually, i have nine years

in this profession. i have over 250 interview with the best player in the world for different sport, the main, important ones. that is my style for all my life, in doing my job. and never have any problems. >> what do you think should happen now? you've gotten this apology from the jets' owner. is that enough? >> i believe in what nfl decide. they are taking very seriously. so, i know that if they need to punish someone, they are going to do it. >> do you think there should be punishment? or do you not? what do you personally believe? >> i personally believe if they find they are very aggressive in the way they speak about me, yes. they deserve a punish. but i'm not sure that it happened. so, if in the end of the day, they decided that it happened, of course, they deserve a punish.

>> okay. ines sainz, thank you. >> thank you. >> we want to know what you think about this story. go to abcnews.com/gma and weigh in on our shoutout board. it's time for sam and weather. >> hey, george. we're going to start with extreme weather and lightning shots hitting the empire building. the empire gets hit 100 times a year an average. and it's built as a lightning rod for the neighborhood to take the lightning. we have more severe weather rapid city, to north platte, to grand island, to wichita. we'll see gusty winds in the neighborhood. they were strong storms yesterday. they will be again today. toward the west, it is dry i mostly sunny and a pew- clouds. 56 degrees at dulles.

we are on our way to the low 80's. there will be gusty winds out of the and all that weather was brought to you by burlington coat factory. george? >> thank you, sam. and coming up, a dad's search for justice. william petit takes the stand in the home invasion case that stunned the nation. [ female announcer ] stay once... stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn

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it was a home invasion that stunned the country. now, today, the father at the center of the case, is getting his first chance to tell, under oath, what happened the night his family was attacked. david muir has the details. >> reporter: he was the only survivor. and later today, dr. william petit is expected to take the stand in the trial of steven hayes, one of two men authorities say killed every member of dr. petit's family,

his wife, jennifer and two daughters. >> the families are ready for this process to begin. and our hope is for justice to prevail. >> reporter: petit is supposed to describe for the first time, the home invasion. the sexual assaults. and the fire set to the home. and for the first time, we saw the surveillance image of mrs. petit at the bank. the bank teller that day was among the first to testify. telling the court that mrs. petit's hands were a little shaky. and that the wife said she had to withdraw $15,000 because her family was being held hostage. the bank teller said she alerted the bank manager, who also testified. telling the court that mrs. petit showed pictures of her daughters in her wallet. the court heard the 911 call from the bank manager who described the wife this way. she is petrified. then, dr. petit's neighbor took the stand. he heard someone calling his name. he opened his garage and saw a

man lying in the driveway. i did not recognize him at first. his face was banged up. it just didn't look like dr. petit. he testified that inside the home, the girls. a neighbor then told the court he saw flames and smoke coming from the petit home. though the police would arrive, it was too late. dr. petit's sister outside of the court. >> it's been a long and painful process as you know, to get to this day. while the pain will never end. and we think of jennifer, hayley, and michaela every day. joining us, is leslie crocker-snyder who presided as a judge on new york's state supreme court. thank you for being with us. dr. petit will take the stand in connecticut. as a former prosecutor, can you think of any testimony that would be more powerful? >> i really can't. in all of the brutal cases that we've seen and i've seen, i've

never seen a caslike this. i can't imagine what he's going to go through. >> and his legal team, can you be prepared for a day like today? >> i don't think you can. legally, they probably got over what happened. and they told him, you have shown remarkable courage. keep it up, if you can, if you do break down in this set of horrific facts, the jury is going to understand. >> and speaking of the jury, jurors have already been dismissed. they won. >> that's right. >> how does that bode for the trial? >> it's a judge's nightmare. if you lose, they lost about four people, three alternates. and they're down to four alternates. that was day one of what i'm certain is going to be a lengthy trial. it is a judge's nightmare. now, they're going to have to be very, very careful about not losing jurors. >> it is a death penalty case. and a governor there vetoed a

bill to abolish the death penalty. it's been 34 years since somebody was put to death in connecticut. >> the death penalty is not realistic, even if it's imposed, which is likely in this horrible case, the person convicted and sentenced to death will be on death row for an incredible length of time. so, it may almost amount to a life sentence. >> so, what do you see going forward? we say dr. petit will be on the stand today. it is going to take quite some time for this trial to be decided. >> i think that we've already seen that the defense attorney in -- as to this particular defendant, has conceded most of the facts. or many of the facts. i think his trial strategy is to distinguish his client from the co-defendant whose trial will be later on, to show that his client was less culpable, which is almost inconceivable if this set of factses, to make him look

slightly more human. and the panel, who -- during the penalty phase, i assume that we'll hear what will be viewed as mitigating factors. and even if someone in his client's positions was shown to be abused for many years, which could make a difference in many cases, i don't think it's going to make a difference when you have this set of facts and someone's entire family is not only wiped out but assaulted, burned alive. horrible. >> it is horrible. we appreciate you coming in and giving us your insight. we're thinking of dr. petit today as he takes the stand. we'll be right back. without a big miles upcharge.g it's either pay their miles upcharges or connect through mooseneck! [ freezing ] i can't feel my feet. we switched to the venture card from capital one -- so no more games.

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>> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> good morning, everyone. 7:56 on this tuesday, september 14. i am greta kreusz with your local news update. let's check out the roads with lisa baden. there is a crashed near route 1 spotsylvania near fredericksburg and both directions of '95 is getting

around the clean-up but with two trucks overturned, that will be quite a long cleanup. interstate 95 near route 1 spotsylvania -- better news on the bellboy out of springfield now that a crash is gone. the pace is improving on the west side of the beltway. this is new hampshire avenue inside the beltway. we are looking for a crash, there is the outer loop delay from 95 to get past new hampshire avenue and out to georgia ave. a lot of sunshine today. it is quiet weather-wise. we have been dry for a while. we at showers on sunday and the next chance of rain is not until thursday night into friday. we needed but it does not look like it will amount to much. 72 degrees in winchester.

82 degrees will be the high temperature today, breezy with a lot of sunshine, and we will be back in the 70's by friday and saturday. metro says it will investigate reports of passengers who ended up on electrified escalator at the wheaton station last night. one passenger said the train operator did not know the station was closed. everything is back to normal. we will be back with another everything is back to normal. we will be back with another update for you at 8:27.

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♪ a beautiful day, indeed, because we have breaking news this morning. american hiker, sarah shourd, has been released, after more than a year in an iranian prison. we will have details coming up with juju. >> she had health problems. a lump discovered in her breast.

this is good news that she will be able to come home and get treatment. medical alert for parents of teenagers. how can you tell if your child is going through teenaged angst. or if you're suffering with a more serious problem of depression. dr. richard besser points out signs of trouble in your teen. >> so vital, george. in our series "america's favorite restaurants," we go in search of some of the secrets that make popular chain restaurants popular. and we go to dq, dairy queen, that is going to make it royalty for half a century. first, the news with juju. >> we have breaking news this morning. word that american hiker sarah shourd who has been detained in iran for more than a year, is freed from prison. jim sciutto, what do we know? >> reporter: iranian state tv is reporting that welcome news,

that sarah shourd has been released from prison. sent to the swiss embassy. we don't have diplomatic relations with the country. i've spoken with our family and the u.s. state department. they are waiting for confirmation that she is in swiss hands. what we believe is after 14 months in prison, this welcome news has happened. remember, over the last few days, a number of stumbling blocks. she was supposed to be released on thursday, then on friday. on sunday, word that her release was reinstated. but there was $500,000 bail that the iranians were demanding be paid in cash. what we don't know right now is whether that bail was paid. another open question, will shourd be required to come back to iran for a trial? the tehran prosecutor says he has enough evidence to try shourd and the other two americans, shane bauer and josh fattal, who are in that prison,

awaiting trial. even as she leaves the country, shourd has been given instructions about what she can say and cannot say. and probably warn that it could affect the kifs bauer and fattal. and bauer is her fiance. juju? >> jim, thank you for the details. other late-breaking story this hour, hillary clinton is in egypt, as middle east peace talks enter a critical phase. at issue, a settlement freeze on the west bank. palestinians want it renewed. but israelis have refused. talks have been encouraging. and primary elections are being held in seven states and washington, d.c. today. on many voters' minds, taxes. of a hint of compromise, the gop has closed ranks. mitch mcconnell says every republican senator will hold out to extend the bush era tax cuts to everyone even the rich.

president obama wants to extend tax cuts just fwr the middle-class. an fda panel meets to discuss restricting certain cough medicines. it comes amid a rise in the number of people, especially teenagers getting high off of an ingredient. more women than men receiveded a vanlsed doctoral degrees last year. and new figures show the pay gap between men and women in the workplace is the smallest on record. and finally, president obama is coming out with a new book for children. "of thee i sing." the book profiles 13 american pioneers, including jackie robinson and painter ga g o'keeffe. now, for a look at what's coming up on "world news." here's diane sawyer.

>> tonight on "world news," popular osteoporosis drugs. is there a link to a broken leg? you may remember, it was first investigated by dr. richard besser. he's back again tonight. brand-new information. and an important health warning on "world news." see you tonight. >> we look forward to rich's reporting. time now for the weather and sam champion. sam, i can't wait to eat ice cream with you. >> that's coming up, juju. a whole ice cream segment. we also have pictures we want to start out with this morning from the usgs. these are walruses on the alaskan shoreline. this is the disturbing point. walrus at this time of year is supposed to been sea ice. because there's no sea ice, they were forced by tens of thousands this year, to the coast of alaska. and because they're not land animals, they are crushing their young. the calves are getting crushed by the hundreds. disturbing pictures out of alaska. a quick look at the board today.

the west coast of the u.s. is looking gorgeous. it's a little warm here is a live look outside with mostly sunny skies. we are 70 degrees in martinsburg. we are on our way to the low 80 this afternoon. the cold front is moving in and the humidity will drop and that wind will pick up. tomorrow near 80 degrees which is average. mostly sunny and not as windy it is a beautiful morning in times square. we'll have more weather next half hour. you have to hurry back to get your blizzard. we're going behind the scenes of the country's most popular chains to see what makes them so successful. this morning, we unlock the

skroefts dairy queen. the average american eats six gallons of ice cream every year. but what makes us choose dq over everyone else. i don't know how you can do the series on a diet. >> we're about to have a bonding moment. oreo blizzards are your favorite. they're mine, as well. there's 1,500 dairy queens. and the busiest one, anchorage, alaska. one of the many surprises and secrets i learned about the queen. ♪ everything's delicious at your dairy queen ♪ >> reporter: for over half a century, no restaurant has catered to the needs of americans craving something comforting and sweet quite like dairy queen. for millions, the invention of frozen dairy queen novelties, from the malted milk shake to banana splitss and the dilly

bar, conjure up scrum chus memories. but who most americans don't know, is the process to create that yesteryear know tall ja is brought by researchers in white coats. we tested new, frozen menu items. >> premium fruit smoothie. >> reporter: that's very good. to perfecting the art of pouring the 6 million pounds of strawberries dq goes through each year. there's a science to this. >> no, you don't. for this test, we're looking for how it drapes on the soft serve. it looks inviting. >> reporter: but it's the soft serve ice cream underneath that sauce that is the core to dairy queen's success. it dates back to 1938 in illinois, when a man named grandpa mccullough, thought that

ice dream was enjoyed at 23 degrees, not zero, which is how all other ice cream was sold. >> that's a temperature to taste all of the flavors in the product. they set about to create a unique freezer. >> reporter: a highly-guarded system, as that. you can't tell us what's in the formula? >> there's no way. it's kept in a safety deposit box. >> it's the newest treat from dairy queen. >> reporter: dairy queen's most popular and profitable soft serve product is the blizzard. this half-malt, half-milk shake concoction, quickly became dairy queen's best-selling item. there's currently 100 unique blizzard flavors available. but trying to compete in the fast food industry, forced the company to expand just beyond dessert. dq's menu includes burgers, to chicken strips, and hot dogs.

each year, dq sells enough hot dogs to stretch from los angeles to new york city. no menu item is introduced without a lengthy taste testing process. it's one reason that more than 35 million customers choose to eat at dq each month. customers like warren buffett. >> okay. >> reporter: and like every customer, waits patiently in line, deliberating what to order. >> which would you rather have? >> i have strawberry cheesecake. >> reporter: but buffet's not only a customer, he's also dq's owner. his company, berkshire hathaway bought the company in 1998. what inspired you? >> this inspired me. i've been running a quality check for decades. i like to buy things i understand. and i understand why people come to dairy queen. when i buy them, i'm making the

bet that 10, 20, 100 years from now, people will be doing the same thing. >> reporter: one thing warren buffett didn't know is that the soft serve is actually low-calorie. the reason they don't advertise that -- >> dig in, guys. >> they want people to have the full experience of indulgence when they eat a dq product. instead of thinking it's something to eat on a diet -- there you go. >> special gma blizzard for you. >> yes. because we wake up early. this is a mocha chip and banana. >> sugar and caffeine. >> i'm old-school. dip cone for me. >> i like cherry dip. >> do you? this is a favorite restaurant series. this is my favorite series ever. >> i can keep going and going and going. >> keep going. we have to go to a commercial. you can get the recipe on our website, abcnews.com/gma.

and tomorrow, is chipotle. mom, new shoes?

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teens and depression. we all know the teenage years are a notoriously difficult time of life. but how do you know if your children are suffering from typical teenage angst? or a more serious condition? as many as one in five young people experience mental problems. up to 20% have symptoms of depression. our dr. richard besser had a no holds bar talked with five teens whose lives were altered by depression. what they revealed because both heartbreaking and hopeful. >> i didn't wake up that day knowing i was going to try to take my own life. >> i just would spend hours crying and having suicidal thoughts. >> i ended up cutting to the point i needed stitches. >> i don't want anyone to be in my shoes. >> reporter: teens have a reputation. moody and angst-ridden. but it may surprise you that 20% of teens experience real depression. that's about 2 million teenag

teenagers. what is it like to be depressed during one of the most tumultuous times of your life? i sat down with five teenagers for a frank discussion about their experiences. francesca, when did you realize you were depressed? >> my demeanor changed. i was irritable. >> reporter: a teen's depression is not the same as an adults. teens often feel irritable, not sad. dr. harold koplewicz is a child psychologist. >> the teen depression losts more than two weeks. it's a change in appetite, a change in sleep, a change in concentration, a change in mood and the change in the ability to enjoy things. >> i was really tired. it took twice as much energy to get out of bed and brush my teeth. do the thing is love.

>> reporter: how long did it take for someone to say something's different here? >> towards the ind of eighth grade. my sister noticed i was wearing long sleeves. and we didn't have a cat. >> reporter: casey was cutting. cutting her skin with sharp objects. it's a sign of depression. >> many times, people do it because they feel the desire to feel alive. they feel so numb from the depression, that cutting themselves makes them feel alive. >> i ended up cutting to the point that i needed stitches. i didn't want to feel that way. i didn't want to die. but i wanted to feel something, other than what i was feeling, even if it was pain. >> reporter: like many teens, casey suffered in silence. the shame in admitting she needed help was too powerful. there's so many conditions, mental health conditions, certainly stigma has been a big barrier for people getting help. >> this here is probably the most honest talk i've been a part of for a long time. it's a shame because stigma's so

strong. >> i guess i haven't had the courage to completely come out and say that i have depression, i guess. it scares me. >> reporter: there was a lot of resistance to medication. that taking an antidepressant is somehow cheating. >> you're not depending on it to make you happy. your brain works differently. and for me, it is difficult to do things that people take for granted. that pill makes sure i can do the things that jump-start my day. >> reporter: studies show that early treatment, whether with medication or talk therapy, may prevent further episodes. remember, depression isn't an attitude a teen is choosing. it's a serious and real brain disorder. >> you broke your arm, you go to the doctor. so, if you're depressed, which is an illness, shouldn't you go to the doctor? shouldn't you get help? why is it any different? it should be treated the same bay because it is an illness.

>> reporter: maggie isn't depressed. but her brother was. she was 12 when he took his own life in 2003. >> every day, i have to wake up. and i don't have my brother. and maybe things could have been differently. so, it's not something to be taken lightly. just pushed under the carpet. >> won't go away if you ignore it? >> no. >> reporter: depression can be hidden, like it was for maggie's brother. unrecognized depression can lead to suicide. in fact, it's the third-leading cause of death for people age 14 to 24. over 600,000 teens make an attempt every year. i don't think there's anything that is more difficult for people to talk about than suicide. suicidal thoughts. is it something that you've experienced with your depression? you all have. >> the way my emotions used to work is like a rubber band. i could extend for a long period of time. when i let go, i snapped. >> reporter: that's what happened the day his parents found the stash of alcohol he

had been hiding. >> that was the night i tried to take my own life, by going out of my nine-story bedroom window. >> reporter: it's a miracle that jordan survived. he shattered his leg. and still uses a cane today. are you glad you survived? >> i feel extremely fortunate to be alive. that was the first thought in my mind when i woke up. i am so happy to survive that. >> reporter: there is hope. if there's one thing that you want people to take away, in terms of teenage depression? >> if you're having a hard time, you're not alone. life's hard. you know? i mean, it is what it is. but you may not know about it. but there's so many resources out there. things that can help you out. >> don't be afraid to talk to somebody. you might think it will be scary and there might be bad consequences. but it's so much better to talk about it. getting help is incredibly important. you might be able to get through it yourself.

but having the extra support system can save your life. >> the good news about depression, it can be treated. >> i used to think you can only suffer from depression. that's what we always say. but i learned you can still be successful with depression. you can help other people, touch other people, with depression. and still make a difference and have depression. that's something i carry with me every day. >> such a powerful message. and we want to thank families for depression awareness for their help on this vital topic. rich is here now to tell us more about it. there's so many ways you can go with this. sometimes you think you've gotten it beaten, the depression. and it comes back. >> if your child has a major depression, they're at risk. 20% to 40% will have a relapse within two years. you don't want to ignore that. >> the five people that you interviewed, wow. those young people. anmaggie, talking on behalf of her brother. as you said, there is hope. >> the reason maggie was on, is so other children don't have to

feel her pain. she's active in her school's depression and suicide awareness club. and they came up with t-shirts. they came up with a word aevidum. it means, i've got your back. >> we have some great questions from viewers. you're going to come back in our next half hour and answer those. and we have a special section on our website devoted to this 207ic, abcnews.com. now what are the hottest dvds hitting stores today? here's "entertainment weekly's" must-see list -- hi, mom. how was school today? [ girls ] good. ♪ ♪

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>> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> and good morning to you. i am alison starling. 8:27 is your time of this tuesday. let's begin with a look at traffic and weather. there are a lot of slowdown's including the george washington parkway to get from 123 to the key bridge. this is north of the beltway live on 395. there is a delight -- there is a delight for the pentagon and

across the 14th street bridge. we will take you over to maryland with more of the same, delays out of germantown to gaithersburg and into rockville. 8:28 on this tuesday morning and we are looking good outside. we could use some showers. it looks like a dry extended forecast with a slight chance of rain thursday into friday. mostly sunny and a cold front will move through. you will notice the winds pick up northwesterly at 10-20 miles per hour. arlington is 72 degrees. we are on our way to the low 80's. tomorrow, mostly sunny and near

80 degrees and warmer on thursday but into friday, a new system moves in and we will have the upper 70's for friday and saturday. we may be a step closer to a gubernatorial rematch in maryland. incumbent democrat martin o'malley is expected to get his party's nomination today. it will likely face former gop governor bob ehrlich. brian murphy is his challenger who has been endorsed by sarah palin. who has been endorsed by sarah palin. we will have another update at

maybe i should take all of you with me to the other side of the world. [ cheers and applause ] we're going to australia. >> there she is. the surprise to top all surprises. that was only the beginning. we'll talk to one of the people in oprah's studio audience, who found out she's going on the

trip of a lifetime. you're going to australia. you're going to australia. we say good morning, america. what did you ask us this morning? >> are we going to australia? >> no. >> we have some blizzards and ice cream. we'll work something out. you can, if you write an essay, we can work with you. "work with me." we're asking people from all walks of life, to send in their ideas. so we can find out what their work life is like. we've heard from teachers. we've heard from parents. >> yes, we have. we have heard from something called a ferrier. >> what's that? >> four ferriers have written in. they shoe horses. >> as opposed to a furrier. >> didn't we hear about a comedian on a cruise ship? >> i don't know about that. >> that would be good. >> she would be a shoo-in.

there's time for everyone else to apply. you can check out our website. or send us a letter the old-fashioned way. tell us why you want us to work with me, "gma." there's the address right there. >> you have to do a little work. send us a 250-word or less essay. tell us why your job is different, unusual. we'll spend the day with you. get to work. why don't you get to work and give us the weather. >> seems like a lot of work to talk about that. over here. are you all right if i come over here? good morning. let's get to the boards. one or two things we want to talk about this morning. we thought we would start with hail pictures that were in pennsylvania. scranton, pennsylvania. a line of storms developed yesterday. they were good-sized hailstorms. these are the same storms that created that lightning. if you want to know or about lightning and the empire state

building. we have some of our abcnews.com/gma. there's where the severe storms line up. it looks like it's from rapid city, to waichita. the west is looking dry and warm. that dry is a little problem in the mown fans colorado, strong, dry wind there's. severe storms could be more problematic. if they're dry, the lightning ignites things. you'll get fires in that area. it is gorgeous for you guys sunday and up to 68 degrees right down in the district. cooler out at dulles airport. it will have sunshine today ended little breezy, tomorrow near haiti and not as windy. thank you, kind audience. all that weather was brought to you by the amazon kindle.

robin? >> oh, there, sam. earlier in the show, we started our conversation about teen depression. we asked you for your questions. joining us on suggestions on how to help any adolescence grabbling with this issue, is dr. richard besser. and dr. melissa inuwalla of nyu child development center. i know talking in the last half hour, the reaction we've gotten already. there's one from a viewer named karen, rich. and she asks, how can you tell when teens are just being teens? and when they are actually depressed? >> that's a tough question, as a general pediatrician. it's one that i face. depression is a departure from normal childhood development. it's normal to want to spend more time with your friends. to separate from your parents. when you have a loss of enjoyment in activities, difficulty functioning, that's when you have to think about depression.

you may see changes. a loss of appetite. you may see dropping grades. feelings of worthlessness. changes in sleep. too much or difficulty sleep. and the loss of interest in activities that used to give them enjoyment. if you're seeing those things, that's time to talk to their doctor and get help. >> there's many reasons why depression, and bullying. there's a study that came out recently from the gay, lesbian and strait education network. and it dealt with gay students. it says nearly nine out of ten are experiencing harassment in school. what can parents do about this? >> i think it's important for parents to be aware. most parents think if they're not judgmental and they approach their child, if they notice something. their child seems sad.

maybe the child is missing items they used to have because people are taking things from them. if they are open, sometimes it's best for a parent to say less. we use active listening in child psychiatry. it's saying a little bit. like, wow. you seem kind of down lately. anything going on? he may not answer you. but keep it up. approaching the times when he's maybe quieter. like late at night. 2:00 in the morning is often good for teenagers to open up and talk. >> less is more, in many regards. >> on that, for gay/lesbian teens, you have to be careful. that risk of depression is higher than in the straight population. if your child is gay, lesbian or transgender, you want to key in on that for sure. >> you should know more about the study that was released overnight. it is an eye-opener. another question. this one comes from doug.

he asks, how do you know whether to give your child antidepressants? or whether to send them to talk therapy? >> i think that any child who is depressed needs to be in a talk therapy relationship. someone they can confide in. can open up with and talk. many children will benefit from medication, as well. and so, you can have the talk without medication. but i don't think that you should really be in a situation where you're getting medication without talking. i don't know how you feel about that, melissa? >> i would agree. the talk therapy relationship, with kids to mild to moderate depression, that may be all they need. >> with no meds. >> along those lines, there's a question that says. i'd like my teenager to try antidepressants. but the ads say they may cause suicidal thoughts. >> the thing to target there is despregs the most likely cause of suicide in a teenager. better to treat depression. we may find that a child

develops suicidal thoughts while taking antidepressants. then, we're monitoring them. >> rich, i know you wanted to have the final word on this. if you hear your child or any child having these kinds of thoughts or discussion, to act. >> that's right. you don't ignore it. you want to see, do they have a plan to commit suicide? is it something they're thinking about? if so, you want to get them to medical care. if there's none available, you want to get them to the emergency room. don't ignore that. >> very good discussion. hopefully, kids will see this and have the discussion with them if they're think they'r

the national and international debate over that florida pastor threatened to burn the koran hit a boiling point last week. and for now, the issue is being batted around the court of public opinion. but it could end up in a court of law. perhaps, even, the supreme court. that's one of the topics i discussed with supreme court justice stephen breyer, when he stopped by to discuss his new book, "making our democracy work." i love the title of this new book. "making our democracy work." that's not only the title of the book, but your mission. and you believe for that to happen, people need to understand our institutions and be engaged with them. >> yes.

>> how do they do it? >> the first step is to know what it is we do. how your legislature works. how your governor works. how your mayors work. >> you also said something of a mystery. that we built up in our tradition, the norm that when the supreme court decides something, the public tends to follow. >> there's a history in this country, of bad events and marvelous events. and over time, it's led to a general acceptance of the court, of having the last word on most constitutional issues, even when they are wrong. >> that was really tested on the idea. when you were sitting on bush v. gore, the 2000 election, you wrote at the time, you were against it. it was a self-inflicted wound that hurt the court. you also point out, and you're right about this in your book,

that one of the most remarkable things of this election decision, is that the people accepted it. >> i heard senator reid say that. he said one of the most remarkable about that case, is one of the things least remarked. nobody remarks. here is a case that's very unpopular. in my opinion, as a decenter, was wrong. and yet, the public did not start shooting each other. >> how do you explain that? >> i explain that. that's a really good question. you have to learn about history in the united states. we had a civil war. we've had 80 years of legal segregation. we've had many ups and downs. but over time, public has come to accept the need to have an institution that will protect minority rights. >> one of the tangible symbols that expresses the idea that the institutions have to work together, is that every year,

you all, members of the court, go to the president's state of the union address. it became a remarkable moment, when the president criticized the citizens united case. it criticized the case. and justice alito got visibly upset. it provoked this reaction from chief justice roberts. i want to show you this. >> the image of having the members of one branch of government, standing up, literally surrounding the supreme court, cheering and hollering, why the court, according to the requirements of protocol, have to sit there expressionless, i find troubling. >> did you find it troubling? >> i've been there for a while. as you have in your job, people say all kinds of things about someone in public life. sometimes they agree. sometimes they disagree. but my job is not to say things that criticize me or others on

our court. my job is to do it as best i can. >> he's walked away from that saying, perhaps he won't go in the future. justice o'connor when i talked to her about it in the future says she would rethink her attendance. does it make you rethink -- >> no. i think the reason that i want to go and i think that the reason we should be there, is because, particularly today, where for better or for worse, people get lots of their information visually. it shows in that room, this is your federal government. the president is there. the cabinet is there. the congress is there. the joint chiefs are there. and i'd like some of the judges to be there, too, because the judges have a role in this government. >> even if you're the only one there. >> if i'm the only one, i'll be the only one. i'll do that because i believe very, very strongly in this. >> we spoke several years ago. you talked about how the process

of globalization was changing our thought of the world. when you think about the internet. and you think of the possibility of a pastor in florida with a flock of 30, can threaten to burn the koran. and that leads to riots and killings in afghanistan, does that pose a challenge to the first amendment? to how you interpret it? does it change the nature of what we can allow and protect? >> in a sense, yes. in a sense, no. people can express their views in debate. no matter how awful those views are, in debate. a conversation. people exchanging ideas. that's the mod. so that, in fact, we are better informed when we cast that ballot. those core values remain. how they apply can -- >> the conversation is now global. >> indeed. and you can say, with the

internet, you can say this. it doesn't mean you can shout fire in a crowded theater. what is it? why? well people will be trampled to death. what is the crowded theater today? >> that's exactly my question. >> yes. well, perhaps that will be answered by -- if it's answered, by our court. it will be answered over time, in a series of cases, which force people to think carefully. that's the virtue of cases. >> when we last spoke, when you wrote your last book, you had been on the court for ten years. you were still the junior justice. >> i was. >> that's no longer true. you have justice sotomayor. soon, justice kagan will be joining you. you talk about how before your first session of court, you were nervous. i wonder if you have advice for justice kagan for that. >> she will be nervous. don't worry about it. there's no way not to be nervous. for quite a while, the cases --

now, they will be final. there's no one to appeal to. and there is an instinct of everyone to be a little uncertain. be a little unsure about whether my views, in my case, will i be able to answer these decently? will i make some terrible mistake? i surely hope not. and that lasts for a while. i surely hope not. and that lasts for a while. >> justice breyer, t

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well, did you see it? just when you think she can't outdo herself, she outdoes herself. oprah winfrey's jaw-dropping spry for her audience. it was the first show of the last season. you probably know by now. she shocked 300 people in the audience with this announcement. check it out. >> maybe i should take all of

you with me to the other side of the world. we're going australia. >> the classic use of, wait for it. wait for it. and guess who is flying them there? none other than john travolta. >> wait for it. wait for it. >> wait until he comes out of the cockpit. >> there he is. >> and the 300 people in the audience were shocked. they had no idea they were even in the audience of the first show of the last season. they were ultimate fans. and one of the lucky winners who is now going to australia is on the phone with us right now. alecia murkerson. are you there? >> yes. just watching it on tv. it was great all over again. >> what went through your mind

when you heard her say, wait for it, australia? >> oh, my god. it was like we were on pins and needles. we were jumping up for joy. we were holding on to our feet. it was really exciting. just to expect any surprise. we were not even sure if we were going to be in the country. out of the country. we were just excited. >> and to be piloted by john travolta. are you going on your own? or are you taking somebody? >> i'm taking my husband, anderson merkerson. >> alicia, i know you were the ultimate fans. what did you say in your letter to her? >> there were many questions. but one of the things i remember, is her being a consistent role model in my life since i was like 5 years old. and she has been always, a consistent, like a celebrity mentor. you can always look to oprah to

give you advice. love what you've got. love where you are. give back to your community. anything that you live life long. and you can watch oprah. and she'll help you. >> live your best life. >> yes. help in general. >> john travolta is the ultimate oprah guest. who is your ultimate oprah guest? >> my ultimate oprah guest is suze orman. >> there it is. a big vote for suze orman. >> have fu [ male announcer ] you can't un-smoke a cigarette. and you can't go back and un-do the times you tried quitng.. ♪ but evsmoker was a non-smoker once. you could be again. for many, smokinis a treatable mecal condition. so talk to your doctor about prescripon treatment optis and support. and make this ti, your time.

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it was wonderful to have you with us today. wonderful to have our studio audience. tomorrow, we have patricia heaton, to dish about the new season of "the middle." also, jennifer hudson will be here, as well. she has great, new recipes. we'll talk with her about that tomorrow. we'll see you then. have a great day.

>> live and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. >> and good morning once again. i am alison starling with your local update. let's look at traffic and weather on this tuesday morning. it has been a struggle out of manassas east on 66 and a night to lead is 123 into vienna to the beltway. better to stick with 66 for rosalynn. lee highway delays began after the furniture store. 395 northbound on the 14th street bridge had nothing but bottom and southbound on the beltway to maryland across the american legion bridge, traffic on the left has no delay at river road. nice day -- nice day to day but we have a cold front moving in. it will be an uneventful weather

system very the wind will pick up behind the cold front. 71 degrees in leesburg. manassas is cooler at 55 degrees and arlington is 75 degrees. mostly sunny today and low 80's and tomorrow will be similar but not as windy. bike friday and saturday, back down and the 70's with showers possible late thursday into early friday. we need the rain but unfortunately it does not look like we will pick up much. it is primary day in maryland and the district. mayor adrian fenty is trying to fend off a challenge by vincent gregory of voters are choosing candidates for several other city offices. maryland voters will decide who runs for governor. we thank you for watching and we will be back at noon today today